Mitchell Starc announces retirement from T20Is to focus on Tests, ODI World Cup

Mitchell Starc has closed the chapter on his T20 international career, choosing instead to preserve his energy for Australia’s packed Test schedule and the 2027 men’s ODI World Cup. The 35-year-old, who last played a T20I during the 2024 World Cup in the USA and West Indies, retires as Australia’s second-highest wicket-taker in the format with 79 scalps from 65 matches. His economy rate of 7.74 and his role in five World Cups, including the triumphant 2021 campaign in Dubai, ensure his legacy as one of the format’s most incisive left-arm pacers.

In his statement, Starc emphasised his priorities with characteristic candour. Test cricket, he said, has always been the pinnacle, and maintaining peak fitness for marquee contests such as the upcoming India tour, the Ashes, and the 2027 ODI World Cup was the most sustainable path forward. His decision also provides space for Australia’s younger bowling crop to find rhythm ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Selectors echoed the sentiment, with George Bailey lauding Starc’s ability to turn games with bursts of wicket-taking brilliance. Starc’s exit coincided with the announcement of the squad for October’s T20I series against New Zealand, featuring recalls for Marcus Stoinis and Matt Short, while Nathan Ellis and Cameron Green will miss the tour for personal and domestic cricket commitments.

Starc’s career in the shortest format may be over, but his impact remains etched. He was never just a numbers man—his thunderbolts with the new ball and his deadly yorkers at the death were the kind of weapons captains dream of. The focus now shifts to the long form, where Starc hopes to carve out a few more defining chapters before bowing out of the game altogether.
**This news was published on India Today on 2nd September, 2025.

 

Source Click